My holiday was amazing. The weather was not brilliant for most of it to be honest but I was able to relax and enjoy myself. Just what I needed to forget work for a few days to relax and re-charge my batteries.

Well, I have been back at work a week and I am exhausted and need another holiday! lol I had planned to do some work on my film whilst I away. But to be honest I have not done any work on my film. I was too tired and needed to relax. I also don’t think I will get chance to do much work on it over the next few months (news about why coming soon).

Barcelona was stunning as always even if it was raining (well short bursts of drizzle really). When I arrived I walked up to the Bunkers Del Carmel and all I have to say is wow! The sore feet were worth the walk up the hill for the stunning views of Barcelona. I will be going back up the hill again next time I am there for sunset, as I am sure I can take some amazing photos!

Thankfully, the heavy rain happened over night so you could walk about without getting drenched. I have been before in winter but it was great to see the city like this as it gave me chance to see what it can be like there when the sun is not shining. It has not put me off moving there one day! I felt at home and calm. Something that oddly I never feel like in Bristol. I always feel on edge and that I have to keep moving when in Bristol and its hard to explain why…I guess it is true what they say – home is where the heart is.

My friend from university, Miguel arrived Friday night for the weekend and I gave him the grand tour of Barcelona taking in as many attractions as possible. It was surprising how much we fitted in during the 2 days – and also a shock at how much of the city I didn’t show him! Was great to catch up and laugh about the times we had at university.

Whilst in Barcelona, I did a few things I have never done before. On Saturday, me and Miguel visited the Basilica Santa Maria Del Pi for the tour up the bell tower – 54 meters above the streets of Barcelona. It was a good tour with a fantastic tour guide. The views of the city were amazing – despite the cloud, fog and rain – I will be going back. Hope the tour guide is the same as well 😉 [sic]

I also did a day trip back down to Barcelona when the weather had improved and visited one of the newer attractions in Barcelona, the modernist/Art Nouveaux Sant Pau Recinte Modernista (picture above). The site is a world heritage site and use to be a hospital. The mosaics on and inside the buildings are amazing.

On Sunday night I went to the Camp Nou for the last home game of the season, a derby against Espanyol. Barcelona won 5-0. Great game! I the atmosphere was electric and the weather held. It was a shame that we didn’t win the league that day. When I saw that Levante had gone 2-1 up against Atletico, I was hoping for a Valencia equalizer. I will go going to another game next season – Visca Barca!

After Barcelona, I went up the coast by Train to Lloret De Mar. It was great to see all my friend up in Lloret, even if it was briefly. They will get to see more of me in future though…when I move out to Barcelona though. Seeing the weather and the beach was shocking when I arrived. It was like a winter storm and I through the waves were going to erode the entire beach! The added irony was that back home, there was a heat wave so everyone felt disappointed for me. The staff at hotel I stayed in, Hotel Ninays were amazing and very helpful as usual.

Whilst in Lloret, I visited Girona where there was a festival on, Temps de Flors. It was amazing to see all the displays and settings decorated with or inspired by flowers. Some are small and simple while others are larger very theatrical. The photo on the right it just an example of what the displays were like. The sword has been thrust into the steps of the city and it (the city) is bleeding.

Girona itself is an amazing city (its got a large medieval history) and there are several museums. The city also has lots of festivals and events on through out the year.

Whilst I was in Lloret there was also the Formula Weekend (the weekend of the Catalonia Formula 1 Grand Prix) was different and quite interesting. There were some cool sport cars, karting and a stunt show.

I also managed to eat a lot of food whilst on holiday. I really need to start a diet! [sic] I recommend the gourmet burgers at Bacoa (Carrer de Ferran, Barcelona). I had a Japanese inspired burger covered in teriyaki sauce.

The first week back in work has been hard and the next few months will be very busy. So I may not be posting as much as I can (or should). I will be trying to work on my film but I doubt I will make much progress…

It’s the start of May. The weather has been rubbish and summer seems to be a world away.

I have not had chance to work on my script or think about my film the last week. I need to spend some time over the next few weeks on the script but I am remind to the fact that my plan to film this year is gone…I might with some luck start filming before the end of the year!

I am going to take a 2 week break and see how I feel when I get back…need to make some changes to get back on track.

Next weekend, I am off to Spain for my first holiday of the year. Beer, Tapas and football in Barcelona before heading up the coast to Lloret to visit friends.